CHARLOTTESVILLE - Waynesboro losing Friday night was only the second biggest news item for the Little Giants program.

Following the 56-14 loss to Monticello in the Group 3, Region C playoffs, head coach Derek McDaniel announced he was stepping away from coaching.

"It’s time," he said. "I still enjoy the kids. I still enjoy coaching. My family sacrificed so I could do what I want to do for 37 years.”

McDaniel took over as Waynesboro's head coach in 2011, leaving his alma mater Wilson Memorial to be both the football coach and athletic director at Waynesboro. He will remain AD at Waynesboro.

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Derek McDaniel revived the Waynesboro football program after taking over as head coach in 2011.(Photo: Holly Marcus/Special to The News Leader)

He feels that he leaves the football program better than he found it. That may be an understatement.

The year before McDaniel arrived, Waynesboro was winless. The Little Giants won seven games in the six years before his arrival.

It didn't get better immediately. McDaniel's first game at Waynesboro was a 54-7 loss to, of all teams, Wilson. He won just two games in his first three years.

And then 2014 happened. Waynesboro finished the season 7-6, but more importantly got a playoff berth. And the Little Giants made the most of it.

Waynesboro upset top-seeded Hidden Valley on the road, then beat Broadway to advance to the third round of the playoffs, where Western Albemarle beat them by five. It was the first postseason appearance since 1998 for Waynesboro football.

But once they got there, they stayed. Waynesboro has been to the playoffs every year since 2014.

“Waynesboro football is in better shape," McDaniel said. "That’s not credit to me, but to a lot of people.”

Enjoyed covering Waynesboro 🏈and Coach McDaniel this season and respect for him and his years of coaching. #ClassAct

The team's latest appearance in the playoffs didn't go as well as McDaniel or his players would have hoped.

Waynesboro tallied only 161 yards on offense with almost all those yards coming in the second half. The Mustangs piled up 499 yards with running back Jerrick Ayers rushing for a game-high 206 yards with two touchdowns and quarterback Kevin Jarrell adding 138 yards and four scores.

Waynesboro was led by senior quarterback DaJuan Moore, who had 86 yards on 21 carries and a touchdown. D.J. Green rushed for 76 yards and a score.

“They got on us, got us on our heels," McDaniel said. "It was 21-0 in the blink of an eye."